Restaurant review: muteki by Mugendai

There are countless excellent Japanese restaurants in Bangkok, to be specific, in the common vicinity of the Emporium on Sukumvit. But once you get further from the area, the less you can find in both quality and quantity.
In the very center of Bangkok’s mad-dash business district on Sathorn intersection, Muteki is a Japanese restaurant that does justice to its cuisine and to the Sathorn district. This modern, airy restaurant is situated on the ground floor of the city’s most gargantuan office building, the Empire.

Muteki serves the apropos grub for the picky ‘eat clean’ crowd, with cuisine that spans from east to west, to east-meets-west, prepared fresh, light and subtle for the palette. Created by the famous Chef Kubota and team, the restaurant takes pride in its top-shelf ingredients and healthy food.

Taraba Maki was the more decadent dish that we tried for this visit, with the classic combination of king crab, rice, seaweed and cucumber. No dipping needed. The Twilight is also a must-try with a delicate orgy of salmon, seared scallops and black flying fish roe. Salmon skin Furai roll was also a crowd favorite, with its typical larger-than-bite morsels you can try to stuff your face in one bite, if you dare. It’s salmon skin in its perfect crisp form with Tonkatsu sauce. Not recommended for first dates. The sweet finale is their signature Muteki Cookie Cream, a soft-baked chocolate chip cookie, fresh out of the oven and topped with chocolate sauce and Hokkaido soft cream that came straight from the teats of the cows in Hokkaido, a region famous for the most delicious milk products.

The surprise section in the menu list was the all-day western bistro style breakfast that goes from Fluffy Soufflé Pancake to the healthful Whole Oats Porridge to the deluxe brioche selections that can vaguely transport you to New York’s famous Popover Café.

Muteki is a great space for power lunches and your coworker’s birthday. But you may want to go there right after your payday. Price is not cheap, but you sure get what you pay for here.

Born in Utah and raised in Bangkok, Utanee spent her early workforce days in political writing in Boston. Her dog, Moo, suggested that they leave New York to pursue her writing career in Bangkok. Everybody’s now happy, kind of. She also fantasizes turdkicking all motorbike drivers who drive on the sidewalks of Bangkok. Although bilingual, Utanee still talks in her sleep in English.

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